Improvement in machines for preparing



N.P ETERS, PHOTO-UTMOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. Dv C,

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eEOEeE RHAMLIN, OEWILLIM'ANTIG, eONNEc'frIoUT.

Letters Batcnt No. 106,359, yfla/teal August 16, 1870.

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:MPRoVElvrEN'I'l 15N MACHINES PoR PREPAING APPLES 'FOR THB MAN'UFACT of' omen. y

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same To all 'whomJ it may concern.- l l `Be it known that I, GEORGE B. HAMLIN, of Willimanti'c, in th'e county of Windham, in the State of Connecticut7 have invented certain new-and-useful Improvements in Machinery for Cutting up Apples for Manufacture of Cider; and I do hereby declareV that the following isa full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making part of this application.

'My invention-relates to certain new and useful improvements in machinery or apparatus for preparing` the apples for the pressing operation in the mauufacture of cider. 4 v

' Previous to my invention a variety of machines -known as cider mills have been made and used, in allof which the modeof operation has been. tliatbf crushing, breaking, or, as is commonly designated, grinding the apples.' All suchmachines, and the mode of operation, or method of reducing the fruit'to a'comminuted condition, embodyradical objections, the most. obvious of which are. the disadvantages which necessarily result from 'preparing' the fruit for the press inbreken pieces irregular' in size and thick# ness from which it is dificult toextract the maximum quantity'of juicc,'and the' great expenditure Iof power necessary to work any machine in which this crushing operation has to be performed on the apples. The first-named objection is one of serious import, since it involves the question of economy of production, and the second is quite as, if not more serious,4

since, on account of this dii'liculty, it is impossible to have a cidcr-mill which can be successfully operated by hand-power-a great desideratum. -1 propose by my invention to overcome these and other serious objections which exist in all known machines and processes for preparing apples for the press inthe manufacture of cider; and to this end My invention consists in a machine in which the apples are subjected to a cutting' or. shaving operation, and by means of which the fruit is all cut up into thin strips or slices in such a manner that all the juice can afterward be readily expressed.

'Io enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it more fully, refeiring by letters to the accompanying drawing which illustra-tes a machine embracing it.

Figure is a top view of such a machine;

Figure 2 is a side elevation ofthe same;

Figure 3 is a side elevation 5 and Figure 4 is a detail section, at x x, iig. 1.

In the several lfigures the same Vpart is designated by the same lett-er of reference. l

A is a suitable frame-Work on which is mounted the .ries the'driving-gearing or device for imparting the motive vpower to said mechanism.

,Bv is the hopper for containing a supply of apples. It is mounted, as shown, on the frame A, and has ar- ;ranged beneath it, or iu its throat, the shaving and cutting cone (l. r

This cone has any` desirable number of slots, c,

which run fromlnear itsapex to near its base, and in veach of which `is arranged a knife-edge or cuttingblade, d, asy clearly shown. Between these knives the surface of the cone C is provided or formed with numerous small openings, e, over each `of which isa scraper or cutter, a.

I propose to make this cone of sheet metal, and form these openings and cutters (or graters) ec by cutting through and upset-tingrthe stock, as shown, (something after the fashion of a common grater, except that in lieu of a simple bur to scrape in any direction I' make a sort of lip adapted to cut in onedi-A rection.)

The cone C is secured. axially at its apex to one end of a shaft, F, which is mounted to -turn freely in boxes or stands g g2, and is provided at its vother end with a friction-wheel, H, to which-.power and motion are imparted.

' vI is the main, and

L, an auxillary driving'- wheel. These-wheels are mounted respectivelyon the main shaft M and conn# ter-shaft N, are banded together by, a belt, O, and both run in contact with and mutually drive the wheel H.

` 'lhe main-shaft M is h ung in'stationary-boxes-mm, but the counter-shaft N, and the pulley end of ,shaft F, should be hung in yielding boxes, p 1i and g2, so that the friction driving may be kept -in perfect adjustment.

` The arrangement and operai-ion of the devices composing the driving-gearing of ,the machine need not be more particularly described here. 'lhe apples to be prepared are put into the hopper B, which may be constantly supplied and kept full.

The motive power being applied to thev main shaft M, a rapid rotary motion is imparted to the shaft. ll, and, consequently, to the cone C. As the latter rotates rapidly beneath the mass of fruit (in the hopper) resting on it, the knives cl cut-olf thin slices while the series of cutting-lips; a cut the apples at right angles to the direct-ion of cut of` knives d, and thus the fruit is thoroughly cut to pieces, and the shavings are discharged (mostly) from the interior of the cone C.

In a working machine I propose'to llave-about four of the knives d, and a great many moi-cof the cutting vention.

lips a, but lhe number and arrangement o f the cntters does not,ro` course, affect the nat-nre of my in- It will be understood that a machine made on the principle herein described, and so that'it will cut olthin shavings and strips from the fruit may he driven (especially with my improved system of driving gearing) successfully by hand-power, andV a great quant-ity of work easily accomplished; and it will be seen that bycntting the apples up in the manner described, by shaving o" thin slices and shreds the whole muscle portion ofthe apple is disintegrated, and the fruit is discharged from the machine in amuch VVpreierableicondition for Ythe'extraction'of the juice 'to'`Y that in which it leaves the ordinary mills', such as used previous to my'invention. The details ofy construe- `tion, and the .method of working the parts, may, of course, be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention, the gist of which is in the ideaof entf ting up the'apples into small shreds in lien of crushing them, as has heretofore been customary, whereby I am enabled not only to make a successful and economic hand-power machine, but can also prepare the fruit so thatI a greater quantity ot juice can be extracted with the same facilities.

the hopper, as the most convenient form of' machine, but my invention may, of course, be carried out by means of adilierent-ly shaped rotatory cutter-carrier, or even by areciproeatory cutting mechanism Working beneath the feed-hopper;

Having fully explained my invention, andthe man- What I claim as new, and desire to secmcby Letters Patent, is

1n a machine for preparing apples, lche combination series of continuous orlknife-edged, and short interspersed cutters, arranged to operate substantially as and for the purposes described.

4 In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 29th day of June, 1870.

GEORGE B. HAMLIN. [L. s.}

Witnesses:

ISAAC M. FARMER, Isaac W. SMITH.

I have shown the rotary cone in combination with nel-of carrying out the same, which Ivhave foundsuc of asnitable hopper for holdingLV a supply;'Witl'raY 

